The removal of specimens by way of a biopsy is a known and widely used method for evaluating the condition of a part of the human body. In particular in the case of tumor diseases, the specimens removed can be used as the basis for the evaluation of the progression of the tumor disease and the determination of suitable therapeutic measures.
Tumors are typically heterogeneous; in particular, there are regions in the tumor with a high degree of activity and/or growth (high malignancy) and regions with a low degree of activity and/or growth (low malignancy). In order to assess the type and stage of the tumor disease correctly based on a removed specimen, the specimen should be removed from a region with high activity and/or growth.
It is known to use medical imaging to determine the position and extent of a tumor in the human body and to remove the biopsy at a random position or a position within the tumor determined based on the geometry of the tumor. However, herein, it is also possible that the specimen will be removed randomly from a region with a low degree of activity and/or growth and that the evaluation of the specimen will produce false conclusions.
Furthermore, it is known to remove several specimens from different regions of the tumor and to use the specimen indicative of the highest degree of activity and/or growth as the specimen for the evaluation of the tumor disease. However, the removal and analysis of numerous specimens is time-consuming and expensive and multiple removal represents a higher risk to the health of patient than one single removal.